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| Karpman |
The Marvels: (Laura Karpman) After several dozen
movies and television shows in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, not to
mention the endless complication of the multiverse era of their stories,
it's no wonder that some people might be tuning out. Hefty box office
returns on these franchise extravaganzas are no longer guaranteed,
though that isn't stopping studios from maintaining a pipeline of such
entries several years into the future. In the case of 2023's
The
Marvels, Disney and Marvel Studios bring together the cinematic
Captain Marvel concept and multiple television show spin-offs for
a combined team of three female Marvel superheroes. Their common task is
familiar, a villain from a planet battered by prior franchise actions
utilizing a magical device to restore her world's environment at others'
expense, achieve revenge against the superheroes, and be generally
unpleasant. The catch in this case is that the magical superpowers
invented by the writers can only be used by one of the Marvel leads at a
single moment, lest they suddenly find themselves swapping bodies with
their colleagues. The usual subthemes of self-discovery recur, endless
green-screen fakery abounds, and cross-concept promotion is inevitable,
the last of which hauls the newly acquired property of the
X-Men
into a credits scene that includes the weird-ass blue beast that vaguely
looks like Frasier Crane. As was the case with
Captain Marvel in
2019, the sequel features a cast and crew prominently defined by women,
and while the prior movie's score was handled well by Pinar Toprak,
The Marvels brought Laura Karpman from her duties on the "Ms.
Marvel" television series to the big screen. Karpman is a tireless,
leading advocate for women in the industry, and her extensive career in
television music speaks to talents that should have found the big screen
far earlier. She did her part to stock her orchestra and crew on the
score for
The Marvels with women as well, her wife conducting the
work. The end result is one of the most unique musical entries in the
entire concept, one with tremendous creativity and intellect but one
also with problematic complications that may cause it to be shunned by
listeners seeking more easily digestible superhero music.
Certainly, Karpman's take on
The Marvels is
fabulously inventive. For film music listeners yearning for the days of
blockbuster scores by the likes of Elliot Goldenthal and Don Davis,
Karpman has decidedly traversed the same path in this instance. The
scope of the recording is fantastic, the bevy of specialty instruments
and voices mixing well with the 94-piece orchestra highlighted by seven
flutes (with contrabass) and twelve French horns. Despite the great
orchestrations, though, a few aspects of the ensemble reside on a scale
between mildly annoying and outright grating. The international elements
related to "Ms. Marvel" are underplayed here. Thematic connections to
the rest of the concept are fleeting at best. And, most importantly,
Karpman risks over-intellectualizing the general sound and feel of the
music for some listeners. There is significantly harsh dissonance for
extended periods in
The Marvels, the villain material and
associated reality-bending concepts placing the music comfortably in the
realm of Davis' music for
The Matrix. Some of the post-processing
techniques, such as the stuttering and slurred performances in "Stop
Spinning," become highly obnoxious. Karpman does allow full throated
heroism of the Alan Silvestri mould at times, and that tip of the hat
definitely yields success for the overall product. But expect a fair
portion of the score to be outright prickly and challenging, not the
kind of experience you expect in this genre. Beneath the oft dissonant
applications is a base of players and vocalists that is outstanding,
though. The variety of vocal techniques came at the request of the
director, and Karpman responded with extensive and interesting methods
of utilizing them. Three choirs are layered, representing Western,
Indian, and African styles, but the Western one is ultimately the most
impactful in a traditional science-fiction sense. There are short
moments of tonally magnificent bursts, as in a passage in "Hala" that
resembles Christopher Young's
Priest. Along those lines, slightly
religious Latin tones in "Evacuation" offer creepy fantasy for the
villain, chanting techniques applied originally to the heroes adopted
fully by that character in "Power." The voices are really applied like a
fifth section of the orchestra, mimicking the sounds of instruments in
their unconventional moments. Also notable from the instrumental side of
the work is Karpman's handling of percussion and electronics.
The lead soloist for the percussion on the score,
interestingly, is deaf and plays via feel and resonance. Items like a
lambeg, thundersheets, barimbulem, giant tam-tam, bass crotales,
allophone, and multiple timpani are employed, joining sampled the sounds
of old space vehicle parts used as percussion as well. Together, this
section's brutal personality reminds of the raw force that Basil
Poledouris brought to his earlier works. Meanwhile, electronic tones are
meant for the concepts of interwoven identities and universe-mingling.
Their use ranges significantly, tingling in "Tear in Spacetime" along
with eerie vocals, and pitch meandering effects supplied to accompany
vocal processing in "Surge" will remind of Rupert Gregson-Williams'
Aquaman. These synthetics become more frantic in the percussively
unforgiving "Entangled" and adopt Poledouris' bass thumping techniques
by "Connected." Together, the ingredients are applied by Karpman to form
a really strong thematic narrative for
The Marvels. While the
themes themselves are typically unresolved and not always pleasant to
the ears, the composer's development of them is unquestionably smart.
Some listeners will fret about the lack of themes by Toprak or Silvestri
in this work. Others will protest how little of the music from the
television series made it here as well. These are completely valid
concerns, as the Marvel Cinematic Universe, aside from Silvestri's
concept-defining theme, has long suffered from thematic continuity
issues. The loss of the Toprak theme is perhaps the most unfortunate
spotting decision given this film's positioning as a direct sequel to
the 2019 entry. On upside, while none of the credits scene music made
the Karpman-only soundtrack album, material from John Ottman's
X2:
X-Men United and
X-Men: Days of Future Past was adapted on
screen. The Karpman replacement for Toprak's main theme is meant to
represent the three superhero leads together, their individual
identities largely diminished as a strategic choice. The composer had
debuted her new theme for the trio at the end of the "Ms. Marvel" show,
and since it is intentionally left unresolved in its progressions, there
is some suggestion that additional development might be coming in the
future. It checks most of the superhero theme boxes, but that lack of
resolution, as evident in the finale and two concert arrangements all
ending on hanging notes, leaves you a bit on edge. The opening bars ride
underlying chords that match Silvestri's franchise theme, thankfully, so
there is something of a connection for people to make
subconsciously.
Generally, the main theme for
The Marvels has a
rhythmic intro, brassy fanfare sections, swooning string interlude
(albeit too short), and chanted choral attitude, and Karpman applies a
solo viola to the idea for its more poignant moments in ways that fans
of Hans Zimmer's cello usage will appreciate. The first, longer concert
arrangement on the album release, "Higher. Further. Faster. Together.,"
provides all of these elements together. The piece starts on solo viola
and builds to the expected fanfare with chopping string intro. The theme
itself emerges from a massive percussive bed at 2:02, the string
interlude following at 2:33. The secondary chanted sequence occurs at
2:52 and is a highlight of the performance, the "higher, further,
faster, together" vocals in Latin previewing more applications of that
language later. In the score proper, the main theme is widely
referenced, the lonely solo viola appearing again at 0:45 into "Tear in
Spacetime" while vintage synthetic elements nudge the theme along
pleasantly in "Surge." A variant on the theme mingles with a fresh,
Jerry Goldsmith-like identity on brass in "Arrival on Tarnax," and it
vaguely lends heroism to the start of "Reunion" on strings. A brass
fragment at 0:13 into "Free Fall" is interrupted by counterintuitively
rising shrieks (the vocal horror effects in this cue are unlistenable),
but the theme shifts with urgency over a flurry of villain elements at
2:05 into "Evacuation." Among the highlights of the score, the main
theme shines in an opening moment of attraction in "Connected," aided by
Christopher Young-like timpani, and listeners are afforded the idea's
full-throated glory in "Arrival on Aladna" with Silvestri presence in a
performance that includes the interlude sequence on voices and a snippet
of the chanted vocal part as well. There is fantastic tonal use of the
melody at the end of the "Voices of Aladna" musical number. It provides
harp-aided hope at the outset of "War Preparations" in arguably the
score's cheeriest performance, and the theme similarly hints during the
wonderfully optimistic interjection at 1:24 into "Power." The main theme
continues its dominance in the second half of
The Marvels, its
opening string rhythm returning near the start of "O Captain! My
Captain!," a cue that reprises the suite's percussion intro to the theme
at 0:52. The idea's chords are resolute on horns to open "Chosen Family"
(meandering thereafter), while its basic rhythmic structure guides the
music early in "On Fire" with anticipation before paying homage to James
Horner's everlasting danger motif; a triumphant rendition of the theme
on operatic female vocal at 2:07 is diluted by dissonance.
The introductory rhythm for the main theme resumes at
1:59 into "Greater Purpose" prior to a subdued string rendition of the
theme, these whimsical takes building to another
The
Matrix-inspired crescendo of otherworldliness. Latin choral chanting
overtakes a bizarre fantasy moment for the more tonal conclusion to the
cue, reminding of Silvestri's magnificent closure to
The Abyss.
The role of the solo viola is reprised for the theme in the middle of
"Restoration," in which chorus and timpani take the idea to a pleasant
resolution by the end. A tender solo piano performance later in "Home"
leads to a quick ensemble burst for the movie's finale, and a more
condensed suite format in "The Marvels" includes the opening rhythm in
the middle, interlude at 1:37, and chanted secondary sequence at the
end. On the other end of this score's spectrum is the well-developed
material for Dar-Benn, the villain. Per Karpman, the intent behind this
idea was one of sleaze, and she manages to infuse a slightly jazzy
inflection in its progressions while countering them with tribal
rhythms. The resulting theme is a pair of identities: three-note phrases
on flutes and a rising underlying rhythm. The two halves aren't entirely
congruent in how they move together, creating striking musical conflict.
On top of that, its tone is intentionally breathy but relentless, which
is an odd combination. The concert arrangement of the villain's theme in
"Dar-Benn" is extremely challenging, the primary flute theme heard
immediately whereas the rhythm starts around 0:40. An interesting
diversion ensues at 1:25, where Krypton-like brass magnificence from
John Williams'
Superman interjects. This backstory forces a mix
of whispered, gasping, and shrieking voices to interrupt in agony, and
the ascending rhythm dominates the latter half of the arrangement while
flutes join its hypnotic madness. While unpleasant in most of its
performances, the Dar-Benn theme is remarkably consistent in its
strategic handling by Karpman in the film's main action. It consolidates
its rhythm late in "Peace Negotiations," a motif that opens "Evacuation"
with breathy vocals, timpani, low brass, and flute puffs before
quasi-religious vocals convey agony for the theme itself in the latter
half of the cue. Those tones influence the menace at the end of "Hala"
as well. The villain's theme extends out of its related stinger motif
early in "Forces Arrive," producing brutal rhythms; most of this cue is
a really unpalatable exploration of the action mode for theme and its
rhythm. The two halves are combined well but harshly at 0:58 into
"Power," the theme dominating later in the cue.
The Dar-Benn rhythm rudely interrupts the main hero
theme of
The Marvels at 1:05 into "O Captain! My Captain!," and
the thematic battle between the two is officially on at this point. The
villain's rhythm and theme emerge menacingly late in "Chosen Family" and
inform thrashing percussion hits in the rhythm at the start of "Final
Fight," during which the theme erupts at 0:34 for a rather unlikeable
crescendo. The theme stews early in "Dar-Benn's Destiny" with taunting,
breathy vocals, only a slight rhythm under, and degenerates into a total
atonal mess by the end. A very slight allusion early in "Restoration" is
a nice touch. The aforementioned stinger for Dar-Benn consists of two
rising bass notes on harsh brass that are abbreviated from her theme. It
stomps at 1:37 into "Peace Negotiations," twice at 0:29 into
"Evacuation," the end of "Hala," the start of "Forces Arrive" on deep
brass over malicious voice layers, more singularly pronounced at 1:20
into "Dar-Benn's Destiny," and with hints staggering into oblivion at
the start of "Greater Purpose." Secondary themes in
The Marvels
are limited, the Kamala/Ms. Marvel theme carrying over most prominently
at 1:44 into "Greater Purpose" but still ancillary to the new main
theme. It's also alluded to in the action during the latter half of
"Free Fall" but enjoys no outward performance, which is disappointing. A
nice theme for Monica Rambeau during all of "Captain Rambeau" is a
singular diversion. Finally, the script of
The Marvels takes us
to the world of Aladna, where everyone sings their words. The long,
stage-worthy musical cue, "Voices of Aladna," is okay, but not as enjoyable as
what was accomplished similarly in the "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds"
show not long before. The final minute between the two leads in the
scene is a highlight, and the use of the main theme after the last line
is superb. Some of the underlying lyrical material extends into "War
Preparations" and becomes anguished at the end of "Forces Arrive."
Overall, Karpman succeeds in providing a highly intelligent and
accomplished score filled with sonic intrigue, but not necessarily one
at comfort with the concept or the general sound of the other scores in
the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The lack of resolution in the new themes,
minimal connectivity with prior themes, and frightfully frequent blasts
of dissonance make this work one to appreciate intellectually more than
casually. The solid narrative and resounding ambience compensate, but
only to a point. Just because you can wow the listener with your smarts
doesn't necessarily mean you should in each instance, and that balance
will be the challenge for every listener to this score.
@Amazon.com: CD or
Download
- Music as Written for the Film: ****
- Music as Heard on Album: ***
- Overall: ****
There exists no official packaging for this album.
